In this series, Glen Cook creates a world none of us would want to visit. Dominated by wizards so powerful they cannot die, and ruled by a "evil" sorceress for whom power is an end to itself, the rogue mercenary troop known as "The Black Company" fights to survive against long odds again and again.
The initial book is a first person narrative written by the company doctor, a cynical man named Croaker. It starts as the company is attempting to flee a city where they were hired to keep order but where they were, as usual, betrayed by those who'd hired them.
Upon escaping, they are offered a commission by a servant of a woman known only as "Lady," a dark wizardess whose reputation is, at best, frightening. The Black Company takes the commission. They are in the business of fighting for pay.
They are thrown into a war of epic proportions, where magic is thrown around with gleeful abandon. Not only do they have to fight the enemy, a group of rebels fighting against the dark queen, but they have to be wary of the in-fighting among her servants.
It doesn't take long for them to realize they are in over their heads. The series evolves from the company just trying to survive to them seeking their origins as a troop. From servants of the darkness, to rebels, to a handful of soldiers seeking answers, the Company evolves and changes.
This series is certainly not for everyone, but if you like your fantasy with a certain amount of dark humor and nefarious plots, it's a worthwhile read.
Bleak Seasons
Dreams of Steel
Shadow Games
Shadows Linger
She Is The Darkness
Soldiers Live
The Black Company
The Silver Spike
CThe White Rose
Water Sleeps
Approved by Englishcology
